Beauty Is As Beauty Does
by Nigelcat1
Summary: Would things be different if Petunia was the beautiful daughter and Lily was the "ugly ducking who never grew into a swan."


BEAUTY IS AS BEAUTY DOES

J K Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.

What if Petunia was the "pretty one" and Lily the plain sister?

"Could you please put Severus Snape and me together," a young girl asked the Sorting Hat as soon as it was placed on her head. She had already seen how things in Hogwarts worked and she knew that her best and possibly the only friend she might have in Hogwarts needed to be with her so that they could protect each other.

"Ah I see the reasons why," the Hat told her after scanning her mind. He saw the childhood of both the girl and the young abused boy and how they had clung to each other and wanted to do so in school. He also saw the incidents on the train where they had been taunted and kicked out of the compartment that they "had first" by not only students wearing green trimmed robes but also by two other very obnoxious first years like themselves, one of whom, the one named Black, had already sorted into Gryffindor.

Then there had been other taunts while they waited in the hallway before being led into the Great Hall to be sorted, again involving those with green trim and the obnoxious boys from the train. It was probably due to the fact that Sev was wearing second hand robes and thus poor and that both of them were thought to be Muggleborns (or rather Mudbloods as the Black boy had called them) and, yes once again Lily Evans would admit it, neither of them were not…not…well let's just say to be kind, they were not pretty or even good looking.

Lily Evans had dull, auburn hair just like her father except her father's hair shown with a glow of health whereas her hair was thin and lifeless. It wouldn't hold a curl no matter what she did and she was called a "ginger" despite not having carrot-colored hair but auburn. How she dearly wished to have lovely, thick, rich, wavy golden honey-colored hair like her older sister Petunia or "Pretty Petunia" as their father called his favorite child.

Also Lily had "weird eyes" because they were not beautiful cornflower blue like Petunia's (and their mother) but green and not the respectable green color like her father. No, they were weird or "glow-in-the-dark" emerald green and so very unusual that people actually stared at her much to the embarrassment of her family. Now had she been "pretty" or at least not "as plain" well then it wouldn't make a difference as people would be staring at her with admiration and because there was something worth looking at and not for those "witchy eyes" as some of the nasty neighbors called them.

Petunia had her father's looks whereas Lily had her Mum's, but even her Mum was better looking than Lily. "I was a late bloomer" her Mum told her, "so once you mature, get your 'woman's' body and can start using makeup, no doubt you'll look a lot better. Remember baby swans are ugly ducklings until they grow up," her Mum would say trying to boost the girl's low self-esteem.

Poor Sev had a drunken, abusive father who wasted their money (when there was some) and had beaten down Sev's mother to the point that she was barely surviving. Sev didn't get much of anything, just clothes from the thrift shops or, more often than not, the charity bins at various churches. He never did get enough "good food" to eat like milk, fresh fruits and vegetables and his Mum had to cut his hair. He was picked on at the primary school despite being the smartest person there – he was even smarter than Lily.

Sev had recognized her as having magic and told her about it. They had been friends ever since then especially since Petunia basically stopped associating with her younger sister. Being so pretty and being older than Lily, Petunia had started to "get her woman's body" (and a very good one at that) early and now boys were starting to notice her. Her parents didn't approve the boys hanging around so early, but welcomed the girls Petunia was friends with. Therefore, the "horse face" runt of a sister was exiled from the Evans home whenever Petunia's many friends came to see her.

It had just been Lily and Sev for the past three years and Lily knew they would need to stick together at Hogwarts to survive. The Hat recognized this also. Both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw would help these two outcasts so to Ravenclaw both of them went.

Their teachers thought very highly of them as both children were at the top of their classes. They did make some friends, a few in their own house but mostly in Hufflepuff. They were basically ignored by the rest of the students except for the odd Slytherin or two who taunted Lily because she was a Mudblood and belittled Sev because he was a Half-blood with a fool for a mother who had disgraced herself and her family by running off with a Muggle and an even more worthless Muggle than Muggles usually were.

The only others who "noticed them" were the two obnoxious, very mean boys from the train who, along with the other two boys in their house and year, "ruled the school" due to their social rank and being heirs to wealthy and power families. They would have been courted and made much of even if they looked like and had the lack of brains of a troll. However, Black and Potter were good looking, had lots of spending money and played "hilarious pranks" on everybody and, it seemed, did so with the Headmaster's approval.

Probably the only thing that saved Lily and Sev from their notice was the fact that they were Ravenclaws and not worth the "Marauders' (the name they had given themselves) notice." They usually just kept out of their way and although victims of the "hilarious pranks" it was mostly because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lily would not let Sev retaliate because she knew he would get in trouble and they would only double their efforts if they knew they got a rise out of the boy.

The few Puffs and Claws which had fought back after being humiliated by the Marauders time and again soon learned that it was futile because fighting back apparently offered a challenge to the four mean boys and it was an "unwritten law" at Hogwarts that _the Marauders always won_. It was mostly due to Black and Potter's rank but also because they were protégées of Dumbledore and "helped him with things" or so the rumor went.

Because Lily was so plain and unassuming, she was spared the attentions of the Marauders once they reached puberty and Black and Potter decided to "get" every worthwhile girl in school. Lily had been a late bloomer to get her "woman's body" and it wasn't until her fourth year when one or two fellow Claws of Puffs noticed her appearance. Just to be safe from the Marauders and the Slytherins, Lily had perfected the notice-me-not charm so that the Marauders and the worst of the Slytherins would leave her alone. She had cast it on Sev in third year after the Marauders "noticed him" due to his intelligence and thought it would be "fun" to goad him into getting in trouble. It would amuse them to hurt, humble and abuse him as they needed _"entertainment"_ on a constant basis.

Because Lily had been so plain and was afraid of danger and most especially losing her best friend, both teens managed to survive their seven years at Hogwarts. Due to his talent and genius, Sev was on the fast track for becoming the youngest Potions Master in a century or two. Lily had been awarded a partial apprenticeship due solely to Filius Flitwick, who liked and respected his Muggleborn student. Even though Lily and Sev had outstanding marks they had not been a member of the Slug Club as Horace only took an interest in talented people who he thought would actually have a future in the Magical World.

It was really Dumbledore who bestowed the apprenticeships by contacting the masters/mentors and recommending a student. He had no real use for Sev or the Muggleborn Lily Evans despite their brilliance but somehow Sev's talent had been widespread and he had three offers while Lily would work on a partial apprenticeship, meaning she would do most of the research and work and the show it to her mentor who would approve or disapprove and make suggestions and give encouragement. It would take longer but at least she'd get her Mastery eventually.

It had been necessary to return to the Muggle World for both of them. Lily and Sev had kept up with their Muggle studies and took the necessary exams to acquire Muggle certificates. Both Lily and Sev even managed to get partial scholarships to small Muggle colleges. For Sev they would be useful in furthering his education and expertise in the Magical World as he was considering becoming a healer or at least a brewer at St. Mungo's. It never hurt to delve into chemistry, biology and other useful Muggle courses as the really good healers knew Muggle medicine and used it for some of the more difficult medical problems.

Lily got a part time job in the Muggle World to help finance her education and because…well she and Sev got married within the year of graduating from Hogwarts. It was a love match as it had always been the two of them anyway and they still needed each other and always would.

Petunia had "married well" mostly due to her looks and their parents spent the majority of their savings to give "Pretty Petunia" the wedding she deserved and a very good wedding present since she had married "up" and appearances counted. Lily hadn't been a bridesmaid…because who wanted "the ugly duckling who never turned into a swan" to ruin Petunia's big day by looking like a frump. Petunia's fiancé hadn't known she had a sister until their engagement and was told she was at "a special school – one of those special schools for people with her… _disabilities_."

Mr. Evans retired because they were both in poor health. They sold their house to move into a small flat because now that their Petunia was settled, they could die happy. Only Lily remained and "in fairness" they settled a few thousand pounds on her for her wedding (because who'd be coming to it) and gave her the furniture and household things they didn't need. Lily didn't care as in her mind she wouldn't be having much to do with "her family" anyway.

Sev's Mum had been finally driven to her grave by her husband who shortly thereafter drank himself quickly to death. Sev sold the house at Spinner's End for the pittance it merited and had been surprised to find out that his Mum had had an insurance policy with him as the beneficiary. Then Lily's parents were killed in a traffic accident and they left her some more money but not as much as Petunia who had gotten the bulk of the insurance policy and the small amount of good jewelry her Mum had.

Between parental deaths, there was enough for Lily and Sev to get a small flat, pay for most of their education and afford the baby who had "accidentally" decided to get himself conceived. It was around this time that Voldemort had escalated his attacks and according to those in the know, was winning. Since Lily and Sev had virtually disappeared from Magical Britain and rarely used magic and then only in their warded flat they fell through the cracks and were safe.

However, they could read the writing on the wall and left the country before the baby's birth. They went to Canada as war refugees and were helped by the Magical Canadian Community to start a new life, continuing their education in both worlds. Shortly after Henry "Harry" Severus Snape was one year old, Lily had a degree in Nursing and Sev had his Mastery in Potions and was half way through his Muggle undergraduate education.

On Tom Riddle a/k/a Lord Voldemort's 55rd birthday Britain fell to Death Eater forces. Albus Dumbledore, the Leader of the Light had proven to be the main cause of the defeat due to his manipulations and demand that the Ministry of Magic fight the war "his way" and because all of his many plots and schemes had ended in disaster. He had wanted Britain to do everything "his way" because as the self-proclaimed Leader of the Light, the defeater of Grindelwald (and winner of the Order of Merlin (first class) because of it), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, former apprentice of Nicolas Flamel, discoverer of the 12 uses for dragon's blood and holders of many other accolades and titles, it was taken for granted he knew what he was doing.

Unfortunately for Britain he didn't. Few would ever know (except those like Tom Riddle) that Dumbledore had created the Dark Lord to recapture former glory and gain more of it. He was creating his own legend and would one day surpass even Merlin. He also possessed two of the three Deathly Hallows in his possession and just needed the third to become the Master of Death and thus live forever. Actually he only had one – the Elder Wand.

The second Hallow belonged to the last descendent of Ignotus Peverell or James Potter. He had "borrowed" the Invisibility Cloak from Potter and then Potter had died while on a missions for the Order of the Phoenix. Since he left no offspring and there were no other living descendants of Ignotus Peverell the cloak lost its power. It became a regular cloak of invisibility and would last for just a few more years and then disintegrate like all invisibility cloaks eventually did. The only way Dumbledore could have become Master of Death was if he had all three of the Hallows in his possession when James Potter died. But you had to have all three in your possession first or the spell was broken. Dumbledore hadn't known that when he sent James Potter and Sirius Black on that suicide mission thinking that he would gain the cloak as "an inheritance" but as usual, he was deadly wrong.

The Order of the Phoenix managed to hold on for another month until all of its members were killed off either one by one or in yet another senseless mission. Dumbledore managed to escape due only because Fawkes had taken him to safety. He tried to use his position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the British Wizengamot (now in exile) to declare war on Magical Britain and drive out Voldemort (who he declared an international terrorist) and his forces and once again free the British people. However, most of the ICW didn't see it that way as they had been kept apprised of all of Dumbledore's doings and how it had been his fault that Britain fell.

Proof was given to show that he had created Voldemort and although he denied it saying it was all lies, he was being framed, etc., he could not and would not swear the most sacred of Magical oaths on his life and magic that it was not true. Instead, much to his great shock and horror, the ICW voted to return Dumbledore back to the "recognized legitimate government" of Magical Britain for trial. Just so he couldn't escape, Fawkes had been stunned and forced into a burning day, then specially charmed not to escape.

He did get a trial – a very thorough trial – and to the surprise of the world, it was scrupulously fair. Most of his secrets and misdeeds were exposed, authenticated and a guilty verdict was reached. The Great Albus Dumbledore was administered a kiss by a Dementor and then his body and the Dementor were thrown through the Veil of Death.

The Snape family lived and prospered in Canada. Eventually Severus earned a Master's in Chemistry and worked in both worlds. In the Muggle World he taught chemistry at a secondary level and in the Magical World he invented several important potions, such as the cure for lycanthropy. After Lily gave birth to Poppy and Peony, their twin daughters, she went back to school and became a physician's assistant.

The three Snape children were average in looks. None would ever win a beauty contest but they were dearly loved and grew up healthy, happy and with confidence which are much better things to have than beauty, as physical beauty is fleeting. They were all good in sports but Harry was a runner and according to his coach could have made the Canadian Olympic team if only he concentrated and practiced more instead of being so dedicated to his studies. He was happy living the life he chose and as his Mum said he shouldn't let other people force him into doing something he didn't want to do.

The three children attended the best schools of Magic in North America with Harry going to one and the girls to another. Harry graduated at the top of his class as did the girls. They all went to university and Poppy became a science teacher while Peony became a psychologist. Harry became a physician and switched from being a general practitioner to surgery where he specialized in reconstructive surgery.

The only good thing the ICW had been able to do concerning Britain was to rescue the Muggleborn children. Voldemort's government allowed the children to survive IF they left Britain. Most of the children went to either Canada or Australia and their lives were saved.

The girls married two boys who would have been of Harry's school mates had he gone to Hogwarts. Poppy married Terry Boot and Peony became Mrs. Justin Finch-Fletchley. One of the girls' former school mates had been after them to introduce her to their brother but neither girl liked the obnoxious Hermione Granger and warned off Harry to "run for your life" if she ever crossed his path.

But that didn't stop this determined girl as she spent years chasing Harry trying to convince him that they were "soul mates" as she had been dreaming about him for years and that once they were married they could change the world. He eventually had to have a restraining order issued against her in both worlds.

He did find true love in the form of another British refugee named Luna Lovegood. Luna, her parents and her little sister fled Britain just before Dumbledore fell. They had gone to the U.S. so Harry didn't meet Luna until he went to John Hopkins Medical School. He had wanted to go to Harvard but Granger was there studying International Law and was waiting for him like a spider.

So the Snapes lived and had a wonderful life, full of love, laughter, joy, professional accomplishments and eventually ten grandchildren. All of those at Hogwarts who had looked down on them were either dead, in jail or living sad, unfulfilling lives.

Voldemort had accomplished what he had set out to do initially – the destruction of Pureblood society. Granted Dumbledore had ruined his life and forced him on the eventual dark path that he took, but…well the poor orphaned Tom Riddle NEVER FORGOT OR FORGAVE those who used, abused, insulted or sought to destroy him. Within two generations there were only Purebloods in Britain. The Muggleborns were all gone and Half-bloods intermarried and became Purebloods. No one outside of Britain would consider marrying a British Pureblood and due to too much interbreeding and genetic defects British wizards were a dying breed.

With the exception of Albus Dumbledore and his faithful followers, everybody got what they wanted or thought they wanted. Things turned out different in other dimensions but in this one it was a much happier place and all because one girl wasn't a beauty.


End file.
